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It is vitally important that federal, state and territory governments positively respond to these recommendations. To this end, Speech Pathology Australia is seeking meetings with key Ministers in health, aged care, disability, education and justice in federal, state and territory governments to discuss how these recommendations can be advanced. The full Committee report can be found online at http://www.aph.gov.au/ Parliamentary_Business/Committees/ Senate/Community_Affairs/Speech_ Pathology/Report .

“…Before I start on outlining some of those recommendations and our findings, I want to make sure that I have time to acknowledge the work that Speech Pathology Australia has put into this inquiry and thank the many professionals in the speech pathology area that we spoke to, parents, older people and people suffering from aphasia who contributed, making sure that we had full access to information.” Senator Rachel Siewert, Chair of the Community Affairs Reference Committee when tabling the report in Parliament, 2 September 2014

ronelle hutchinson Manager, Policy and Advocacy

A Message from SPA President Professor Deb Theodoros

Our profession was showcased in Parliament and there is no doubt that we should be proud of the accolades we have received from the Senators. The recommendations are thorough and insightful and I believe they have captured the general essence of what SPA and its members have been advocating for over an extended period of time. The voice of all those we work with and advocate for has finally been heard! I would like to congratulate Gail Mulcair and her extraordinary team at National Office who worked so hard in lobbying for this Inquiry and in producing an exceptional submission in a very short period of time. I know that the Committee valued

this submission greatly, as well as the additional data and information provided to them during the process. I would also like to acknowledge Chris Stone for her leadership as past President of SPA and previous members of the Board in ensuring that this Inquiry happened. A perfect example of dogged persistence winning out in the end. Finally, I would like to thank all members of our profession who contributed to this Inquiry as well those on the ground who have supported this process for a considerable period of time.

Now the work really begins!

IJSLP continues to rise in its international standing

The recently released 2013 Impact Factor for the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ( IJSLP ) of 1.412 continues to reflect a strong upward trend, rising from the previous year’s 1.176. The Impact Factor for IJSLP has continued to rise each year: 1.412 (2013), 1.176 (2012), 1.000 (2011), 1.120 (2010), and is now

The Impact Factor of a journal reflects the number of times articles in the journal are being cited and is an objective estimate of the journal’s standing. We extend special thanks to Professor Sharynne McLeod who was Editor over this period and who worked tirelessly to promote the journal. Congratulations to Sharynne, the present Editor, Associate Professor Kirrie Ballard, and the Executive Board of the IJSLP journal for continuing to drive a highly valued and internationally recognised publication for the profession.

ranked 4th of the 11 speech pathology specific journals, up from 6th in the previous year. Additionally, IJSLP is now ranked 24th out of 69 journals within the ISI Rehabilitation category.

Speak Out October 2014

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